A senior prosecutor’s assertion that the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department fosters a “culture of violence” outraged a local law enforcement labor union, prompting a swift apology from the supervising deputy district attorney and a public statement from the district attorney himself.

During his closing argument Tuesday in San Bernardino Superior Court in the trial of three deputies accused of assaulting Apple Valley resident Francis Pusok following a nearly three-hour chase through the High Desert in April 2015, Supervising Deputy District Attorney Robert Bulloch, a veteran prosecutor of 18 years, told the jury the Sheriff’s Department fosters a “culture of violence” perpetuated by a “code of silence,” and that “We have to have the will to take on the machine of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.”

On Thursday, the jury convicted former deputy Charles Foster of one felony count of assault by a public officer under the color of authority. He faces up to three years in county prison and is scheduled for sentencing April 28. The jury deadlocked on former deputies Nicholas Downey and Michael Phelps, and Judge Dwight W. Moore scheduled a pretrial hearing for April 21 and a tentative trial date of May 8 for the two.

On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association, or SEBA, issued a statement demanding Bulloch apologize for his comments Tuesday during his closing argument.

“The Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association is outraged by the comments made by (Supervising) Deputy District Attorney Robert Bulloch, who without warrant, made a sweeping indictment of all our members who work diligently to protect our community,” SEBA spokeswoman Lolita Harper, a former deputy herself, said in the statement. “Bulloch used inflammatory language and antics to sway a verdict, at the expense of every deputy in this county.”

By day’s end Wednesday, SEBA’s president, Laren Leichliter, received a written apology from Bulloch.

“I personally and sincerely apologize to each and every deputy in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for the comments I made in my rebuttal argument (on Tuesday),” Bulloch said in an email to Leichliter. “While it was my position and intention that my comments be limited to the three deputies charged in this particular case, I can certainly see that the way it read in the press could be construed that I was painting with a broad brush across all the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. That was never my intention.”

District Attorney Michael A. Ramos on Wednesday issued a statement via social media.

“As District Attorney, the remarks that were made in closing arguments regarding the alleged “culture of violence” brought on by a “code of silence” do not reflect my views or my longstanding support and faith in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department,” Ramos said in his statement. “I want to make it very clear that I have the utmost respect for and confidence in their organization, at every level. Our deputy sheriffs are the most hardworking, ethical and dedicated law enforcement professionals in the nation.”

Sheriff John McMahon was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Leichliter said in an email Thursday that SEBA appreciates Bulloch’s “swift response and his willingness to own his words.”

“If his intent was to focus on the actions of three individuals, he certainly should not have chosen words like “culture” and “machine,” which carry a much larger implication,” Leichliter said. “The effect of those words, whether intended or not, have caused undue injury to the public safety community as a whole.”

Ramos would not respond to questions about whether Bulloch’s statements during trial and the public apology it prompted would have a chilling effect on prosecutors’ future efforts to try deputies and police officers charged with crimes. He also would not comment on whether his statement had anything to do with his recent announcement that he will be running for re-election in 2018 and that he wanted to curry favor with SEBA.

SEBA is one of the heaviest hitters in San Bernardino County politics, and an endorsement by the union is considered golden to candidates running for public office. Ramos has been the county’s top prosecutor since 2002.

Pusok’s attorneys, Jim Terrell and Sharon Brunner, were outraged themselves upon hearing the news, only their outrage was directed at SEBA for putting pressure on Bulloch to apologize and to elicit response from Ramos.

“We applaud this prosecutor’s candor, his bravery, his honesty and the fact that he was willing to say things that so many people know but are afraid to say,” Brunner said of Bulloch in a telephone interview Thursday.

The duo of Victorville defense attorneys have represented more than 100 clients in the last five years alleging excessive use of force by deputies.

“This is a very, very brutal Sheriff’s Department. They’re rewarded for their brutality,” Terrell said.

As to Bulloch’s statements that came under scrutiny, Terrell said, “If you speak the truth, even against bad police officers, it’s very hard for your career. We need to have those words spoken more often.”

Brunner believes what happened will have a “huge chilling effect” on prosecutors’ ability to try police officers and sheriff’s deputies for alleged crimes.

“I think Ramos was signaling this is political suicide to his deputy district attorneys,” said Brunner. “The fact the prosecutor apologized shows the political pressure that was put on him.”

Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said Thursday she was not surprised so much by what Bulloch said during his closing argument as she was about his apology.

“I don’t find it unusual for prosecutors to argue during a closing argument that certain law enforcement officers have a culture of violence,” Levenson said in a telephone interview. “I don’t think it was meant to taint the entire department.”

But Levenson said she understood why the apology was made if clarification was needed that Bulloch was not referring to all deputies.

“I think the overall message is to just be very careful how you present your case,” Levenson said.

Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. He has covered San Bernardino County since 2009. Nelson is a graduate of California State University Fullerton. In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program.